What the Oilers Need From Goalie Prospect Daniel Salonen

Getting to know the Edmonton Oilers’ 2025 sixth-round pick Daniel Salonen

The Goalie Rating Rubric (Personal Goalie Scouting Categories)

Skating: Lateral pushes, edge work, recovery speed, balance, economy of motion.

Transitions: Shifting between stances (standing, butterfly, RVH) and clean recoveries.

Hands: Glove confidence, blocker control, rebound steering, and puck‑handling ability.

Tracking: Eye discipline, puck focus through traffic, rebound recognition, calmness under screens.

Post: VH/RVH execution, seal strength, recovery out of the post.

Depth: Angle management, situational aggressiveness, crease positioning, rush adjustments.

August Preseason Tournaments at a Glance | Game Summaries

Game 1 — Pitsiturnaus: Jokerit (Mestis) vs. Lukko — Aug 1, 2025

Low-event shutout (four saves) against a Mestis opponent. It’s process tape only: Salonen’s head/eyes never left the puck line, rebounds were killed or steered safe, and he defaulted to safe rims under mild pressure. Pitsiturnaus’ post-game shootout (for future tournament tiebreaks) saw him beaten once on a sharp left-to-right deke, patient reads otherwise.

Game 2 — Pitsiturnaus (Semifinal): Lukko vs. TPS — Aug 1, 2025

First true Liiga-pace look. Only five shots against, but the speed exposed a blocker-angle error that kicked a rebound into danger for the lone goal against. A couple of hurried touches behind the net under forecheck pressure; a game highlight bright spot was a calm “pop‑fly” track-and-catch through traffic on the PK that showcased vision and composure.

Game 3 — Pitsiturnaus (Final): Lukko vs. SaiPa — Aug 1, 2025

Again low volume (four shots). The goal against came on a royal-road pass: he had stepped forward to challenge and, without a post load, pushed off the ice only and arrived short, good teach tape on managing depth to shorten the lateral demand. Shootout winner slipped five‑hole; log stick/ice seal timing for future review.

Game 4 — TPS-turnaus: Ässät vs. Lukko — Aug 16, 2025

Full 60 (3×20) at Liiga pace and his cleanest game: 4–0 shutout with steadier lateral mechanics than Game 3, disciplined depth (no short-side leaks), safer puck touches (pre‑scans and clean reverses), and smart late freezes to manage tempo. This is the best single-game evidence of Liiga‑level readiness so far.

Where Salonen Stands After August

Current Overall score: 7.2 High B+

Why High B+ (not A‑ yet):

Two Pitsiturnaus games were very low volume (nine total shots across Games 1–3); need sustained Liiga shot quality and more east–west to claim A‑. Technical deltas were visible and corrected (blocker angle → safer; lateral load without post → improved), but they must hold over 4–6 regular‑season starts.

Category Snapshot

Skating: 6.9 — East–west pushes are stronger than Pre-Draft; he’s arriving set and balanced, with efficient, no-extra-motion footwork.

Transitions: 6.7 — Smoother switches between stance/butterfly/RVH; still a few hurried resets at full Liiga pace.

Hands: 6.8 — Confident glove; blocker control improved after the rebound goal against; puck-handling choices are safer under pressure.

Tracking: 7.3 — Best trait: eyes stay locked through traffic and tips; calm reads under screens.

Post: 6.9 — Smarter VH/RVH selections; cleaner recoveries off the post than Pre-Draft.

Depth: 7.1 — Conservative, correct angles; one early over-challenge addressed; good adjustments on rush entries.

Final Thoughts — Regular Season & CHL Look Ahead

Role reality: Preseason starts signal trust, not a guarantee of Lukko’s No. 1 job. It’s still encouraging on a top club; Antti Raanta’s NHL experience could mentor Salonen and speed his growth, especially if they split starts.

What “progress” looks like in 2025–26: 15–25 meaningful men’s games (Liiga and CHL), cleaner blocker control (no slot kicks), repeatable east–west arrivals (load and balance), and reliable third-defenseman touches under forecheck pressure.

CHL value: The CHL is Europe’s cross-league club tournament featuring top teams from the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), Liiga, and Switzerland’s NL. Earning CHL starts adds varied opponents, tight travel rhythm, and special-teams intensity that pressure-tests reads and resilience.

Why this matters to Edmonton: With Skinner and Pickard in place, the organization needs to see Salonen’s game carry over at pro speed. If Salonen stacks Liiga/CHL reps this season and sustains them next, he projects as a credible American Hockey League (AHL) option by 2027–28, with upside if he hits key benchmarks.

The best place for Salonen over the next 12–24 months is Rauma. A 1–2 year stretch with Lukko, with daily access to NHL veteran Antti Raanta and the added variety of CHL opponents and travel, offers exactly the kind of meaningful, repeatable reps he needs. If he turns that runway into consistent east–west denial, cleaner blocker exits, and reliable “third-defenseman” touches, he moves from B+ rotational to A- Liiga regular on merit. For Oilers fans, that’s the evidence that matters: a measured path that builds a goalie you can trust, sets up a clean jump to Bakersfield when the time is right, and adds real value to the organization without rushing the timeline.